Robert Nilsson Mohammadi
Associate senior lecturer

Presentation

I am researching how people can be engaged in historical explorations and history-writing. My research promotes participatory approaches in research and cultural heritage. Through my research, I demonstrate how historical production can serve as a resource to combat discrimination while simultaneously strengthening community bonds within and between groups that are marginalized in society. I specifically focus on developing knowledge about how professionals can contribute their expertise to ongoing social mobilizations. My research facilitates exchanges between established institutions for historical dissemination and grassroots initiatives within marginalized groups, thereby promoting inclusivity and sustainability.

In my research, I have predominantly focused on urban experiences and urban history, as well as social movements throughout history. I draw inspiration from public humanities, which involves spreading humanistic reflection into social processes and learning something back to the humanities. I integrate this approach with theories from cultural memory studies.

My ongoing research is about informal, grassroots-initiated, and democratic archives, as well as archiving as a contact zone between experiential and professional expertise. I also investigate memory after racist terror attacks, particularly the memory activism of victims and survivors, as well as memory art and memorial sites. Since this form of memory is often managed locally, I also explore how cities function as custodians for reparative memory processes.

I am the chair of the Nordic regional group within the Memory Studies Association and affiliated with the Institute for Urban Research. I serve on the board of Community Cultural Center. Additionally, I participate in Historieverkstaden, an initiative for disseminating and creating history outside the university.